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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — electric
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — to push
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — help
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rash — a series
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. key — in music
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitch — completely
  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