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: foot · land · calf · bat · wake · net · wax · fan

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. land — to come down
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — for catching
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — in sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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