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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — high quality
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rest — a break
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — all right
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. race — a contest
  14. degree — temperature
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — a list
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  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