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 · file · bass · row · kick · bound · perch · spell

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. perch — the fish
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spell — magic
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — in football
  19. bound — certain
  20. file — a tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — the fish
  24. row — a line

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