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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tube — a container
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — the amount
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — a signal
  17. content — happy
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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