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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a music group
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. capital — money
  5. tube — a container
  6. bank — for money
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. land — ground
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. land — to come down
  13. bank — of a river
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a city
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. band — a ring
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — a country

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