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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rule — government
  9. tube — a container
  10. rule — a law
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. spell — magic
  15. chest — a box
  16. cue — a signal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. tube — in a tire

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