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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. content — the amount

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