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 120 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: fork · shower · cold · racket · pass · wake · stick · tube

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — a trail
  7. shower — rain
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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