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 · net · pop · mate · key · branch · rest · wound

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. net — after costs
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rest — a break
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — for catching
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. key — for a lock
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — music

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