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: wound · land · chip · bound · court · firm · scale · bark

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — to shout
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — certain
  6. court — of a king
  7. land — to come down
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — tied together
  10. scale — in music
  11. chip — to eat
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. firm — decided
  14. land — a country
  15. firm — a company
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. court — for sport
  24. land — ground

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