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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — to come down
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. land — ground
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. snap — to click
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chair — a leader

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