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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. key — in music
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. band — a music group
  12. game — a match
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. branch — a division
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. field — for sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. field — farmland
  23. band — a ring
  24. field — a subject

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