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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mug — a face
  14. current — electric
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mug — a cup
  21. current — of water
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. hand — part of the body

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