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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the fish
  15. file — a tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. file — a document
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fan — to cool the air

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