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 124 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — for catching
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cold — not warm
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — the underground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. net — after costs
  17. content — happy
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — in sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. drill — army training

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