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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wax — to grow
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. sharp — clever
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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