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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. file — a tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — to come down
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — all right
  17. mate — to breed
  18. land — a country
  19. craft — boats
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a line of people
  22. present — there
  23. craft — a skill
  24. file — a document

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