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: race · prune · bowl · jam · bass · file · content · tube

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. race — a contest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. content — the amount
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — the arms race
  10. file — a document
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — to trim
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bass — low music

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