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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. drill — the tool
  3. foot — a measure
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ground — the earth
  12. spell — magic
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — help
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. drill — army training
  24. kid — child

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