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: nail · rock · file · stick · tube · pop · land · pitch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tube — a container
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitch — completely
  10. land — ground
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. file — a document

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