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: chair · tube · ball · drill · clip · squash · mate · date

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mate — to breed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. squash — to crush
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — a friend
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. clip — a video
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chair — a leader
  22. ball — a great time
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ball — a dance

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