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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. club — a group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. band — a ring
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. band — a music group
  19. bat — the animal
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — to grow
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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