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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bound — certain
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. shower — rain
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bound — tied together

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