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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — farmland
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — a position
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stock — goods
  24. snap — to click

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