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: tube · race · season · bat · track · bulb · chest · prune

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bat — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — humankind
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a path
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — of the year
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — a container

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