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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — to eat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — ground
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — to come down
  23. chest — of your body
  24. racket — a loud noise

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