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: wax · face · arm · game · sharp · kick · mark · trunk

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. kick — in football
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. game — wild animals
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — to confront
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mark — a trace
  24. trunk — of a tree

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