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 120 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 · spring · shower · tube · deal · ground · ball · lash

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. shower — rain
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ground — the earth
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chip — for betting
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. ball — a dance
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ground — a position
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. tube — a container

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