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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — a container
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a music group
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a ring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lean — thin

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