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: snap · tube · object · nail · board · wound · degree · bat

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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. bat — in an idiom
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. object — to protest
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. snap — to click
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. object — an aim
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. object — a thing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. board — to get on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — an injury

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