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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — of water
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — music
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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