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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ball — a great time
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wake — a trail

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