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 · wake · saw · last · mug · ball · straw · club

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — final
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ball — a dance
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. club — a group
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a great time
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. last — to go on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. club — for golf
  22. last — finally
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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