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: ground · lie · hand · nail · file · season · bat · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ground — the earth
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ground — a position
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — certain
  13. bat — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. lie — to recline
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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