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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. file — a document
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bank — of a river
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kid — to tease
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — a part of something

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