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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stand — to bear
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. clip — to cut
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — to eat
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — to grow

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