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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spring — of water
  5. club — a group
  6. present — a gift
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — the season
  14. club — for golf
  15. scale — size or range
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. present — the time now
  24. spring — a coil

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