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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — after costs
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — in sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — a container
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — for catching
  24. date — on the calendar

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