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: kick · chip · band · hand · pound · wake · bass · wax

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wake — a trail
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hand — help
  10. pound — a weight
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — low music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chip — to eat
  24. band — a ring

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