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: lie · band · pop · fork · bound · clip · kid · vault

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — to recline
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. vault — a safe
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bound — tied together
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — music
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — certain
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kid — to tease
  18. band — a music group
  19. pop — soda
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. clip — a video
  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