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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. tube — a container
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spring — of water
  7. firm — a company
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — wild animals
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. firm — steady
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — a coil
  20. game — a match
  21. bulb — for light
  22. firm — decided
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bulb — for light

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