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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — final
  7. row — a line
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tube — the underground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. nail — for a hammer

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