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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rest — what's left
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rest — what's left
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. mine — for digging
  12. row — a line
  13. board — to get on
  14. rest — a break
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. roll — a cake
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. row — to paddle
  24. tube — the underground

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