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: pop · cap · pound · cold · charge · tube · board · kid

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. board — a committee
  3. pop — soda
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cap — a hat
  9. charge — in control
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kid — child
  12. pound — a weight
  13. charge — a price
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. board — to get on
  16. pop — music
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tube — a container
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tube — in a tire

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