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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. march — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. march — the month
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chip — for betting
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — the month

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