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: track · saw · capital · tube · cap · rush · spring · pit

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — a hole
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pit — in a race
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — a lid
  10. track — a song
  11. tube — the underground
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — a path
  16. spring — the season
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. capital — money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tube — a container

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