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: nail · tube · wake · shower · kid · mouse · clip · pitcher

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — a video
  6. kid — child
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — rain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — for a hammer

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