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: root · capital · bound · bay · chest · march · key · land

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. key — in music
  4. land — a country
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — ground
  10. root — of a plant
  11. capital — money
  12. root — of a word
  13. march — the month
  14. land — to come down
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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