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: last · cell · chair · sharp · bound · deal · clip · track

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bound — certain
  7. cell — in biology
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. last — finally
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cell — a phone
  19. track — a song
  20. clip — a video
  21. deal — to handle
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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