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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. field — farmland
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ground — a position
  8. field — for sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. field — a subject
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tube — a container
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. band — a music group
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chip — to eat
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. tube — the underground
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a ring

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