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: cell · tube · pop · tear · swing · chair · staff · racket

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cell — a phone
  11. staff — employees
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — to visit
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — a stick
  23. swing — to play on
  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