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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — government
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. sharp — with an edge

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