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 · rash · rush · sharp · pitch · band · bay · file

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitch — completely
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — to grow
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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