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: hand · bulb · row · pop · present · bound · field · firm

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — there
  4. pop — soda
  5. firm — a company
  6. row — a line
  7. pop — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hand — help
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pop — to visit
  15. firm — decided
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. field — a subject
  18. present — the time now
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — in cards
  22. present — a gift
  23. bound — tied together
  24. firm — steady

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