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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cue — for pool
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — certain
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bound — obliged
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rash — on the skin

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