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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. object — an aim
  8. kid — to tease
  9. row — a line
  10. last — finally
  11. object — to protest
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mate — a partner
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. last — final
  20. fine — all right
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — a thing
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kid — child

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