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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. tube — a container
  4. snap — to click
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cold — an illness
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bass — low music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bass — the fish

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