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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. field — for sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. race — a contest
  12. club — a group
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. race — the arms race
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. field — farmland
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pitch — completely

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