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 116 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: nail · scale · chip · wax · court · fork · pop · ground

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pop — soda
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pop — to visit
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. court — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — a position
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ground — the earth

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