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 · bound · present · cold · fork · chip · leaves · kid

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. present — the time now
  3. lie — to recline
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. present — there
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cold — not warm
  19. present — a gift
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. leaves — to go away

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