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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spell — magic
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — letters
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — a song
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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