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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — ground
  4. firm — decided
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pop — music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. firm — a company

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