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: mug · chest · cap · root · tube · tear · race · chip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. root — of a word
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — a cup
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chest — a box
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — a contest
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. root — the cause
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  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