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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bank — of a river
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tube — a container
  9. present — there
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — the time now
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — low music
  20. present — a gift
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — to crush

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