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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ground — a position
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. content — happy
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ball — a dance
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — to put up with

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