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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. spell — a short time
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. net — in sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — after costs
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spell — letters
  15. ground — a position
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. toast — bread
  24. racket — for tennis

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