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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pop — soda
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pop — music
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — a friend
  15. court — of law
  16. wax — to grow
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. file — a tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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