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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — a container
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a ring
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a music group
  24. swing — to play on

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