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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — a subject
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pit — in a race
  9. field — farmland
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. kid — child
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. field — for sport
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — crushed
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — a position
  23. kid — to tease
  24. game — a kind of play

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