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: spell · snap · straw · land · safe · cold · suit · wax

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. snap — to click
  4. suit — in cards
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spell — letters
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. suit — to fit
  15. land — to come down
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spell — magic
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cold — an illness
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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