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: cabinet · kid · charge · roll · tube · key · mine · bat

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. charge — electricity
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bat — the animal
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. key — in music
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mine — for digging

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