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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. swing — to play on
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — in cards
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — help
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. swing — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fan — a supporter

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