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: hand · pitch · club · bear · bat · snap · wax · current

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — a group
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — electric
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. wax — to grow
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — of water
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. club — for dancing
  17. snap — to click
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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