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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — a container
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. march — music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. band — a music group
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — a tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tube — in a tire

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