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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wax — to grow
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — for catching
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. object — an aim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pitch — completely
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. object — to protest

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