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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — a container
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — a leader
  7. capital — a city
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — to grow
  12. capital — money
  13. object — an aim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. object — a thing
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — to protest

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