ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. last — final
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — to bear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — electricity
  10. last — finally
  11. shower — rain
  12. bound — certain
  13. bark — to shout
  14. last — to go on
  15. scale — in music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com