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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cell — in biology
  3. row — a line
  4. staff — employees
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — to grow
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bore — to drill
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. row — to paddle
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — a phone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wax — in the ear

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