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 116 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: clip · bowl · safe · branch · present · tube · bat · stand

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tube — a container
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. present — a gift
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — a video
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. present — the time now
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tube — the underground
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bat — for baseball

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