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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — soda
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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