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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — there
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rule — a law
  6. present — a gift
  7. chest — of your body
  8. present — the time now
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chest — a box
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rule — government
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cap — of ice

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