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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitch — completely
  6. clip — for paper
  7. branch — a division
  8. present — there
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kid — child
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. present — a gift
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. clip — a video
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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