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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stem — to come from
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — to breed
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. land — ground
  11. board — to get on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stock — shares
  17. land — a country
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stock — goods
  21. wax — to grow
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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