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 116 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: last · saw · bat · field · wind · dip · bound · charge

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. charge — a price
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. last — to go on
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — farmland
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — certain
  20. charge — in control
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. charge — electricity
  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