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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — to grow
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. swing — music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fan — to cool the air

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