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: squash · bay · shower · staff · wax · kid · pound · row

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. shower — rain
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. row — a line
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pound — a weight
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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