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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. row — a line
  13. last — final
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rush — hurry
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fine — high quality
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. last — finally
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rush — a thrill

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