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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mark — a grade
  12. file — a document
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — to grow
  24. file — a tool

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