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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. firm — steady
  4. can — a tin
  5. current — electric
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — for paper
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — to be able to
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. season — of the year
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — of water
  18. firm — decided
  19. season — in sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — to grow
  22. clip — a video
  23. firm — a company
  24. current — happening now

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