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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. object — a thing
  6. field — a subject
  7. wax — to grow
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. object — to protest
  12. field — farmland
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. charge — a price
  18. sharp — clever
  19. swing — to play on
  20. object — an aim
  21. swing — music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — for sport

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