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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — to cut
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — a container
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bank — for money
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. clip — a video
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. hand — help
  22. bank — for money
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a football final

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