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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — tied together
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — certain
  7. row — a line
  8. file — a line of people
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a tool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. march — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — the month
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. file — a document
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. march — the month

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