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: calf · wax · cabinet · row · bat · temple · press · swing

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. swing — to play on
  10. row — a line
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bat — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — music

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