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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — money
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — humankind
  10. dip — to sink
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. race — a contest
  15. mug — a face
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. capital — a city
  24. dip — a sauce

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