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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. face — to confront
  5. saw — the tool
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spell — magic
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bound — certain
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — to grow
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bass — low music
  15. spell — letters
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. face — part of the head
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. clip — a video

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