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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lean — thin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a tool
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a document
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a line of people
  18. field — farmland
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a round shape

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