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: field · straw · temple · bear · cap · can · charge · bound

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cap — a lid
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — a hat
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — for sport
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — obliged
  22. charge — a price
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bound — certain

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