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: perch · chest · kid · bowl · fall · wax · toast · fine

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — high quality
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fall — the season
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kid — child
  19. fall — to drop
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kid — to tease

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