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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. land — ground
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — the underground
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — a country
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — to come down
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — a phone
  23. squash — the sport
  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