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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. swing — music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. press — to push
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. press — a publisher
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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