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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tube — a container
  4. wax — to grow
  5. board — to get on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — a position
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. face — to point toward
  15. dip — to sink
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  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