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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tube — a container
  4. fine — all right
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — ground
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. land — a country
  11. season — of the year
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. fine — high quality
  23. swing — in golf
  24. season — in sport

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