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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — a coil
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. sharp — clever
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tube — a container
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mate — a friend
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fall — the season
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fall — to drop

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