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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. content — videos and posts

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