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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ball — a dance
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — rain
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — part of the head
  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