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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mark — a trace
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. toast — bread
  7. pop — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. stock — goods
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. pop — soda
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitcher — a jug

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