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: chip · wound · perch · racket · tube · wax · net · straw

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. net — in sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — after costs
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — for catching
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — for a bird

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