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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — an aim
  7. field — farmland
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — for sport
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. object — a thing
  16. pass — a permit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chip — for betting
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — of law
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chip — in a computer

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