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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. object — an aim
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. file — a tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. object — to protest
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. object — a thing
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — the animal
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a document
  23. charge — in control
  24. dip — to sink

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