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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — a friend
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fine — all right
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. branch — a division
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — of a bank

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