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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — a container
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cue — a hint
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chest — a box
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — goods
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mate — a friend

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