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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wax — to grow
  10. drill — army training
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pit — a hole
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pass — a permit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — to tease
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — to spend time

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