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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — the season
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a song
  10. wax — to grow
  11. land — ground
  12. squash — to crush
  13. track — a path
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. spring — a coil
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. chair — a professorship

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