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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · wax · mate · fork · pit · cold · wave · bore

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stock — goods
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stock — shares
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cold — the Cold War

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