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: straw · mine · cap · roll · fine · pit · drill · tube

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — army training
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. roll — a list
  14. drill — the tool
  15. roll — a cake
  16. tube — a container
  17. drill — a practice
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pit — in a race

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