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: chip · field · file · leaves · bound · present · shower · bore

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. field — a subject
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. present — the time now
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bore — to tire
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bore — to drill
  18. shower — rain
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. file — a document
  22. present — there
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. leaves — of a tree

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