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 · face · kid · rush · file · rash · calf · wound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a tool
  4. tube — a container
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rash — a series
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. calf — a young animal

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