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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. band — a ring
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — to keep track
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — tied together
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. track — a song
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitch — completely
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — a path
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wind — moving air
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bat — the animal

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