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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. clip — to cut
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. clip — a video
  9. foot — a measure
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. race — humankind
  14. wax — to grow
  15. sharp — clever
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. clip — for paper

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