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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bass — low music
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — farmland
  23. bore — to drill
  24. field — for sport

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