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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. capital — money
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spring — of water
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — child
  23. capital — a city
  24. wound — an injury

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