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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ground — a position
  3. cold — not warm
  4. press — newspapers
  5. can — a tin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — the earth
  11. land — ground
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ground — crushed
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — to push
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. chip — to eat
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. cold — an illness

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