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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. press — a publisher
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pop — to visit
  5. file — a document
  6. wake — a trail
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. scale — in music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pop — music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pop — soda
  20. file — a tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. scale — size or range

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