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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. roll — a list
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — hurry
  16. roll — a cake
  17. clip — for paper
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — the tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bowl — a football final

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