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: row · wax · season · cue · sharp · chip · wave · bat

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — in sport
  7. row — a line
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chip — for betting
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cue — a signal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chip — to eat
  16. season — of the year
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — for pool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. sharp — with an edge

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