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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. track — a song
  4. mate — a friend
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spring — the season
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — of water
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tube — the underground
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spring — a coil

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