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: rock · content · clip · mouse · fall · shower · track · bound

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — to cut
  7. content — happy
  8. clip — a video
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — rain
  11. content — the amount
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rock — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fall — the season
  24. bound — certain

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