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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — to get on
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — a permit
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. scale — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wax — to grow

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