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: bound · game · key · chest · club · clip · march · mouse

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chest — a box
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — for paper
  23. game — a match
  24. clip — a video

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