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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. plane — a tool
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — army training
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — child
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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