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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — of the year
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. can — to be able to
  14. season — in sport
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — the underground
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — in a tire

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