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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — wild animals
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rest — a break
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mug — a face
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — a match

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