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: bound · net · clip · pass · game · stick · board · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. net — in sport
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cold — not warm
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — after costs
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. board — a committee
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — a match
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — tied together

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