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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — to grow
  8. file — a document
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bass — low music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in biology
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — for sculpting

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