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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. object — to protest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. file — a tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rock — music
  14. field — for sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. object — a thing
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — a stone
  24. field — farmland

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