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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — a measure
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mine — for digging
  8. craft — a skill
  9. field — a subject
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. field — farmland
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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