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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tube — a container
  4. bound — certain
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. capital — a city
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — exactly

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