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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — a match
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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