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: shower · rush · rule · lie · tube · cold · mouse · chip

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cold — an illness
  5. shower — rain
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — a container
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rule — government
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rule — a law
  24. lie — to recline

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