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: bank · object · tube · wind · capital · cabinet · kid · squash

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — to protest
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. object — a thing
  12. bank — for money
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — child
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — an aim
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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