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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pass — a permit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — rain
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rest — a break
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bat — for baseball

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