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: saw · pitch · bound · rash · cell · staff · wound · court

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rash — hasty
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — of a king
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. court — of law

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