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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tube — the underground
  4. last — finally
  5. bound — certain
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bound — tied together
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. last — final
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — for light
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a music group

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