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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — a line
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. present — a gift
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — to tease
  17. present — the time now
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. staff — employees
  20. fork — in a road
  21. present — there
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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