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: charge · tear · bound · chip · wax · content · clip · lie

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. content — happy
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. content — the amount
  10. charge — a price
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. clip — a video
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chip — to eat
  19. charge — in control
  20. tear — to rip
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bound — certain
  24. content — videos and posts

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