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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. object — to protest
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. row — to paddle
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — a line
  17. file — a tool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. object — a thing
  20. chest — a box
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a document
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — a quarrel

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