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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — a container
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — in music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. board — a committee
  15. chest — a box
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ball — a great time
  18. board — to get on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tube — the underground
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. dip — a sauce

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