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

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — letters
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — to grow

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