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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. content — the amount
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — to breed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rock — music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stock — shares
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. content — happy
  15. rock — a stone
  16. kid — child
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stock — goods
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — to come down

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