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

Word bank: tube · cell · face · coach · season · present · pop · last

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — to visit
  3. present — a gift
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. face — to confront
  11. pop — music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — the underground
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — in sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — soda
  24. present — there

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