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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. file — a tool
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. file — a line of people
  12. craft — boats
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — an illness
  16. file — a document
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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