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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. track — to keep track
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — size or range
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a path
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — a country

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