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

Word bank: craft · clip · tube · club · wax · rest · racket · lie

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. lie — to recline
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — for golf
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rest — what's left
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — to grow
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — a group
  18. tube — a container
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — a video
  23. rest — what's left
  24. club — for dancing

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