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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. swing — to play on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a document
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. swing — music
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. swing — in golf
  20. file — a tool
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bulb — for light

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