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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — certain
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. net — for catching
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. snap — to click
  24. bound — tied together

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