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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wax — to grow
  19. clip — a video
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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