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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mate — a partner
  4. craft — a skill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. file — a line of people

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