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

Word bank: land · bank · rock · bound · row · chest · cap · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cap — a hat
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cap — of ice
  11. land — ground
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bank — of a river
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — a country

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