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: tube · land · lean · roll · pitcher · stand · shower · game

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — ground
  4. shower — rain
  5. game — a match
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lean — to bend
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. roll — a list
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. roll — a cake
  21. land — a country
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — to bear
  24. land — to come down

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