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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — certain
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. race — a contest
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bound — obliged
  15. swing — music
  16. race — the arms race
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rest — a break
  19. swing — in golf
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — to play on
  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