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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — happy
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. band — a ring
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — a container
  10. stock — shares
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mark — a trace
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. stock — goods
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stock — a soup base

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