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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wax — to grow
  4. charge — electricity
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — in control
  7. chest — a box
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. perch — the fish
  18. sharp — clever
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — in the ear

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