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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. suit — clothes
  4. scale — in music
  5. suit — in cards
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rule — a law
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. suit — to fit
  10. land — ground
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rule — government
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rule — to rule out

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