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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bound — tied together
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — high quality
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — clever
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — help
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fine — all right
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wax — in the ear

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