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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ball — a great time
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of law
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — of a king
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. board — to get on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — a committee

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