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

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mate — a friend
  3. file — a tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stem — to come from
  8. file — a line of people
  9. scale — in music
  10. file — a document
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — to breed
  15. net — in sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. scale — size or range
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. suit — to fit
  22. roll — a list
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. suit — clothes

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