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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — hurry
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — a subject
  6. bound — tied together
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. field — farmland
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tube — a container
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — certain
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. 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