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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — certain
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. race — a contest
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — the arms race
  18. toast — bread
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — an untruth

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