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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kick — in football
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fine — high quality
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wax — for sculpting

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