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: ground · tear · staff · kid · firm · pop · tube · wind

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — moving air
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. staff — a stick
  11. firm — a company
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. pop — soda
  18. ground — crushed
  19. firm — decided
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kid — child
  24. tear — to rip

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