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 take my ________________ from you.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. suit — to fit
  3. swing — to play on
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tube — a container
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cue — for pool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. suit — in cards
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. suit — clothes
  23. tear — from crying
  24. swing — music

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