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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spell — letters
  7. file — a tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kid — to tease
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a document
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — magic
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the sport

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