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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — clever
  8. row — to paddle
  9. club — for golf
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — not warm
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. row — a line
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mate — a friend

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