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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — of law
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fine — all right
  12. wax — to grow
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — for sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fine — a penalty

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