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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — an illness
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. plane — in geometry

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