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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stem — to come from
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cap — a lid
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cap — of ice
  16. tube — the underground
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a line of people
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — for paper
  23. tube — a container
  24. stem — a stem cell

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