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 · bat · perch · wax · ball · kick · row · cap

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ball — a dance
  17. row — a line
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a quarrel

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