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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — magic
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. roll — a list
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. stock — shares
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stock — goods
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kid — child
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mine — for digging

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