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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — letters
  3. club — for golf
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — not warm
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chest — a box
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spell — magic
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chest — of your body

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