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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. present — there
  6. wax — to grow
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — to rip
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — electric
  14. present — a gift
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — the time now
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. current — of water
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kid — child

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