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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. hand — in cards
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — for catching
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. band — a ring
  13. hand — help
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. net — in sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — child
  21. net — after costs
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hand — part of the 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