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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rest — a break
  4. last — final
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pop — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. craft — boats
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rest — what's left
  15. last — finally
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — soda
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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