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: jam · game · charge · bat · staff · hand · wax · patient

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. charge — a price
  3. game — a match
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. staff — a stick
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. charge — electricity
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. staff — employees
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. charge — in control
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. game — wild animals
  24. staff — employees

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