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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. court — for sport
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. court — of law
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — of a king
  11. degree — an amount
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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