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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. root — the cause
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tube — a container
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — low music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — of a plant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tear — to rip
  21. root — of a word
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. game — a match

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