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 · chair · rest · press · tube · game · degree · hide

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a match
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — the underground
  9. press — a publisher
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — what's left
  14. press — newspapers
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rest — a break
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chair — a leader
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — to push

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