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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kid — to tease
  3. object — a thing
  4. snap — to click
  5. object — an aim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pop — soda
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. kid — child
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — to protest
  22. row — a line
  23. pop — music
  24. wax — to grow

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