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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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 — the underground
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tube — a container
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. suit — in cards
  14. net — in sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bore — to tire
  19. net — for catching
  20. bore — to drill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cell — in biology
  23. suit — to fit
  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