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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kick — in football
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. game — a match
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rock — a stone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. content — the amount
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. dip — to dunk

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