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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rock — a stone

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