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: chip · bark · face · tear · tube · race · roll · vault

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. tube — a container
  8. roll — a list
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chip — to eat
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bark — to shout
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tear — to rip
  16. race — humankind
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. roll — a cake
  19. vault — a safe
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. chip — for betting
  24. race — a contest

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