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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. court — of a king
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — of law
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — goods
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. row — to paddle
  21. drill — army training
  22. rash — hasty
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — a grade

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