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 116 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: snap · saw · present · race · wax · cabinet · ruler · degree

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — there
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. race — a contest
  6. present — the time now
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. race — humankind
  13. degree — temperature
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. present — a gift
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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