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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pass — a permit
  6. deal — to handle
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. swing — music
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — child
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — to grow
  20. march — the month
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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