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 116 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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. board — a committee
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — in cards
  6. clip — for paper
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — help
  16. clip — to cut
  17. board — to get on
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cap — of ice
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cold — an illness
  24. clip — a video

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