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: roll · cap · club · cold · bark · rule · safe · bound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bound — certain
  4. club — a group
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. club — for dancing
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — a list
  12. cap — a lid
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cold — not warm
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rule — a law
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rule — government
  24. bound — obliged

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