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: fall · straw · mouse · cap · wax · file · mark · fan

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a document
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fall — the season
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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