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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bound — obliged
  5. track — a song
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bound — certain
  9. vault — a safe
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lie — to recline
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. track — to keep track
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. sharp — with an edge

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