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: cabinet · club · wind · clip · bound · bear · mouse · field

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. club — for dancing
  16. field — for sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. field — a subject
  24. cabinet — ministers

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