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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. swing — in golf
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kid — child
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kid — to tease

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