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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. club — a group
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. degree — from a university
  10. club — for golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. degree — temperature
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. toast — bread
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — for sculpting

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