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 120 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 · land · pound · board · sharp · wax · kick · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — a committee
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. snap — to click
  17. board — to get on
  18. sharp — clever
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fall — the season

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