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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. land — a country
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. key — in music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — for a lock
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ball — a great time
  14. key — the most important part
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stock — goods
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — child
  23. stock — shares
  24. bore — to drill

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