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: roll · pass · tube · clip · patient · racket · kid · straw

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. clip — a video
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. clip — to cut
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tube — a container
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — for paper
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kid — to tease
  24. roll — a list

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