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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. land — to come down
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — a country
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fall — the season
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. clip — a video
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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