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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — help
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. scale — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. clip — a video
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. scale — for weighing

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