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 · kid · last · club · spell · bank · wind · saw

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — finally
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. last — final
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. spell — letters
  11. bank — for money
  12. spell — magic
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. last — to go on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — for money
  19. club — for golf
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — a group
  22. kid — child
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — a short time

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