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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — magic
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. cap — a hat
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — a container
  12. craft — a skill
  13. spell — letters
  14. clip — for paper
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spell — a short time
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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