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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — of a king
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. present — a gift
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. court — for sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. present — there
  19. wax — to grow
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — of law
  22. rock — music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. squash — to crush

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