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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. land — a country
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. land — to come down
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. land — ground
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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