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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rule — government
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. swing — music
  6. rash — a series
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rule — a law
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — of ice
  16. band — a music group
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. tube — a container
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cap — a lid

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