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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. kid — to tease
  3. file — a tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pit — a hole
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — child
  19. file — a document
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ground — the earth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pit — in a race

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