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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — a container
  4. capital — a city
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. hand — help
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. capital — money
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — for sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — part of the body

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