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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — in cards
  4. race — humankind
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — in control
  7. wax — to grow
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. charge — electricity
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — a price
  18. race — a contest
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — shares
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stock — goods

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