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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ground — the earth
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wax — to grow
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — to come from

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