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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. capital — a city
  12. file — a tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — a container
  16. capital — money
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rock — a stone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — a tin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rock — music
  23. can — to be able to
  24. file — a document

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