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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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 — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — of water
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — a city
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. capital — money
  22. tear — to rip
  23. capital — a big letter
  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