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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. squash — to crush
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mark — a grade
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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