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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chip — for betting
  4. court — of law
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. court — for sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. file — a line of people
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a quarrel
  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