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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — a path
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. squash — to crush
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. track — a song
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chip — for betting
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chest — a box
  24. chip — to eat

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