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 blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kick — in football
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wax — to grow

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