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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chip — to eat
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — to rob
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. race — humankind
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mug — a face
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. season — of the year
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tube — a container
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. branch — a division
  22. race — a contest
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. tube — the underground

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