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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — to come down
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. land — a country
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mine — for digging
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mate — to breed
  20. land — ground
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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