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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. current — of water
  17. tube — a container
  18. tear — from crying
  19. current — electric
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — help
  23. current — happening now
  24. nail — on a finger

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