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 · can · fine · toast · bound · tube · cold · row

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — a tin
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bound — obliged
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. toast — bread
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. row — to paddle

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