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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. row — a line
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. last — final
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bat — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. suit — in cards
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. row — to paddle
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. suit — clothes
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — for baseball

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