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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mate — to breed
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bound — certain
  10. ball — a great time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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