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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hand — in cards
  5. scale — in music
  6. kid — child
  7. hand — help
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — a container
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rest — a break
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kid — to tease

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