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

Word bank: rush · field · bear · cold · bound · vault · mark · jam

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. vault — a safe
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bound — certain
  8. mark — a trace
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cold — not warm
  24. field — for sport

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