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: mate · pitcher · shower · rule · spring · object · present · tube

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — a gift
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — to breed
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rule — government
  18. present — there
  19. tube — the underground
  20. present — the time now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spring — a coil
  24. shower — rain

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