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: rest · present · bass · game · spell · wax · hand · sharp

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — low music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spell — magic
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — the time now
  12. game — wild animals
  13. present — a gift
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — the fish
  16. present — there
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rest — a break
  19. spell — letters
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spell — a short time

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