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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stand — to bear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — a path
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. track — a song
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — a container
  24. track — to keep track

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