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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. file — a document
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. race — the arms race

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