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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — for paper
  5. court — for sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. drill — army training
  9. swing — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. swing — in golf
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — a face

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