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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chair — a leader
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — for catching
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — the underground
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. staff — employees
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tube — a container
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — after costs

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