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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. can — to be able to
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — the season
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pit — in a race
  23. can — a tin
  24. scale — for weighing

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