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 116 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: spell · tube · clip · lean · pit · field · stick · mine

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — the underground
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lean — thin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spell — a short time
  14. field — farmland
  15. clip — a video
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spell — letters
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. field — for sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — a subject

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