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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chip — for betting
  4. march — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — the month
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pound — a weight
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chip — to eat
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — for dogs

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