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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — for catching
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pit — in a race
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — in sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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