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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. charge — in control
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. charge — a price
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rock — music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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