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 120 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: mark · fan · ground · shower · bound · mate · cell · wound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bound — certain
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cell — a phone

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