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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · wax · nail · chair · mate · track · swing · drill

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bat — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — army training
  10. mate — a friend
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. drill — the tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. track — a song
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bat — for baseball

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