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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — a series
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. row — to paddle
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lean — thin
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rash — hasty
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. row — a line
  23. lean — to bend
  24. present — there

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