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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — to eat
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tube — the underground
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tube — a container
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. march — music

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