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: land · tear · firm · tube · key · bark · fall · game

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. firm — decided
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. game — a match
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tube — a container
  12. tear — from crying
  13. firm — steady
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tube — the underground
  16. firm — a company
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — in music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. game — wild animals

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