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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — a line
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mate — a friend
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. shower — rain
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fine — high quality
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. row — to paddle

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