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

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. press — to push
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — to grow
  14. face — part of the head
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. net — for catching
  19. face — to confront
  20. press — a publisher
  21. net — after costs
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wake — a trail

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