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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — a position
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — a break
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ground — the earth
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. racket — for tennis

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