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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. clip — a video
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kid — to tease
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kid — child
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. wind — moving air

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