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: fork · tube · mine · bat · rash · bore · cap · staff

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — a series
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. tube — a container
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fork — to eat with

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