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 · ground · bulb · kid · rule · race · face · fork

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kid — to tease
  4. race — the arms race
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — child
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rule — a law
  14. ground — a position
  15. race — humankind
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. face — to confront
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. tube — a container
  23. rule — government
  24. race — a contest

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