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 120 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: ruler · bound · wound · leaves · object · land · wake · capital

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. object — to protest
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. object — a thing
  6. land — ground
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — to come down
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a city
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — money
  22. object — an aim
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — an injury

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