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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pound — to hit hard

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