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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — of water
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hand — help
  17. bore — to tire
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hand — in cards
  22. tube — a container
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bore — gave birth

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