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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tube — a container
  4. charge — a price
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rock — a stone
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. charge — electricity
  9. spring — the season
  10. hand — help
  11. kid — child
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — a tool
  17. charge — in control
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rock — music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. plane — an aircraft

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