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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tear — to rip
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. tear — from crying
  7. clip — to cut
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — a video
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wax — to grow

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