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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rock — music
  15. kick — in football
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. branch — a division
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — a container
  24. bulb — of a plant

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