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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — for sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. court — of a king
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rest — a break
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — a container

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