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: object · scale · chest · tube · march · kid · rush · ruler

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tube — a container
  5. object — to protest
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. object — an aim
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kid — child
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. march — music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chest — a box
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. chest — of your body

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