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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. file — a document
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. file — a tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cabinet — ministers

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