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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — a stick
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — in music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — in cards
  19. suit — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. season — in sport
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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