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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rock — a stone
  6. face — part of the head
  7. degree — an amount
  8. march — the month
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wax — to grow
  14. face — to point toward
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — boats
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to confront
  24. fork — in a road

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