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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · clip · wave · tube · rule · court

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. court — of law
  3. rule — a law
  4. court — for sport
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rule — government
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mine — for digging
  15. clip — a video
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container

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