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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. 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. ground — a position
  2. wax — to grow
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — crushed
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — a group
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. 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