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 116 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: spell · bat · straw · charge · wax · firm · stem · game

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. charge — in control
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. firm — decided
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. firm — a company
  16. spell — magic
  17. charge — a price
  18. firm — steady
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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