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 116 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: chair · bound · track · mine · racket · scale · clip · hand

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. track — a song
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. track — a path
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. scale — size or range
  20. clip — to cut
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — help
  24. clip — for paper

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