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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. firm — steady
  4. cue — a signal
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. firm — decided
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. firm — a company
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  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