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 120 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. degree — an amount
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chair — a leader
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. field — farmland
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — a subject
  23. degree — from a university
  24. deal — a big deal

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