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: leaves · court · arm · wax · pound · stock · rash · face

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — a series
  4. stock — shares
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. court — of law
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. court — of a king
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pound — a weight
  18. court — for sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stock — goods
  24. arm — a part of something

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