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 120 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: tube · file · cap · prune · straw · net · game · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. prune — to trim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a line of people
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — of ice
  16. file — a document
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. file — a tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — a match
  24. net — after costs

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