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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — a break
  6. tube — a container
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kick — in football
  16. bound — certain
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. file — a document
  23. bass — low music
  24. bound — tied together

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