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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. key — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. face — to confront
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pit — in a race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — a container
  22. pit — a hole
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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