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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — wild animals
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tube — a container
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. patient — a sick person

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