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: chest · rush · bat · wax · snap · content · pitcher · bay

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. snap — to click
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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