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: plane · tube · bore · net · straw · face · capital · chest

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to drill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — for catching
  15. face — to confront
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — a container
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. face — part of the head

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