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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. bound — obliged
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. game — a match
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. tube — the underground
  21. capital — money
  22. game — wild animals
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. capital — a city

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