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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rock — music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pound — a weight
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. hand — in cards
  22. degree — from a university
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rock — a stone

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