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's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bass — low music
  4. spell — letters
  5. board — to get on
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — a committee
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — magic
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wind — moving air
  24. shower — rain

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