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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — to rob
  4. tube — a container
  5. club — for golf
  6. court — for sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tube — the underground
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — a subject
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. club — a group
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. field — for sport
  23. mug — a face
  24. bowl — to roll

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