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: bowl · tube · cold · spell · chip · wound · bank · racket

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bank — for money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cold — not warm
  13. spell — letters
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chip — for betting

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