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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. craft — boats
  5. spell — magic
  6. current — of water
  7. track — a path
  8. current — electric
  9. last — finally
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — to go on
  12. spell — letters
  13. last — final
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. track — a song
  18. current — happening now
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mate — a partner
  24. track — to keep track

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