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: rush · bound · court · coach · clip · vault · bulb · field

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. field — a subject
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bulb — for light
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bound — obliged
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bound — certain
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. court — of a king
  24. coach — a trainer

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