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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. drill — the tool
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tube — the underground
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — a practice
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — army training
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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