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: wound · bound · rule · can · shower · kid · game · arm

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — wild animals
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bound — certain
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — a law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — child
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — government

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