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: kid · track · band · stock · cell · board · spell · tube

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stock — shares
  7. board — to get on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — child
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — a container
  18. board — a committee
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — a short time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. tube — the underground
  23. track — a path
  24. band — a rubber band

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