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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. land — to come down
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cue — for pool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. hand — help
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  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