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: snap · cue · net · straw · march · wax · rule · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rule — a law
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — the season
  14. march — music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — for catching
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rule — government
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wax — to grow

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