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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. row — a line
  9. dip — to sink
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — in sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — a container
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fall — the season
  19. net — for catching
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. net — after costs
  22. scale — in music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fall — to drop

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