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 116 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: cold · pitcher · game · craft · trunk · tube · branch · ruler

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cold — an illness
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. craft — boats
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. branch — a division
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ruler — for measuring

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