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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. shower — to wash
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — help
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. shower — rain
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. club — a group
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rash — a series
  24. chair — a professorship

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