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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — electric
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tear — to rip
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wax — to grow
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. current — happening now
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — music
  15. current — of water
  16. dip — to sink
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — temperature
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — from a university

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