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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tube — the underground
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fall — the season
  8. kick — in football
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. snap — to click
  23. cold — an illness
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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