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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pop — to visit
  5. last — finally
  6. spring — the season
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — of water
  10. last — to go on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. last — final
  14. mug — a face
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tube — a container
  17. pop — soda
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — a sick person

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