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: capital · bank · shower · cue · tube · clip · mug · sharp

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — for pool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. capital — money
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — to cut
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — the underground
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mug — a face
  20. clip — a video
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. sharp — with an edge

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