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 120 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: court · scale · chip · mate · wax · stick · band · row

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. row — a line
  13. court — of a king
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. court — of law
  16. chip — for betting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — in music
  21. court — for sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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