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: ball · lean · bound · pit · tube · chest · net · chip

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. tube — a container
  6. lean — thin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pit — in a race
  9. net — after costs
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lean — to bend
  14. net — for catching
  15. chest — a box
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — certain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. net — in sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tube — the underground

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