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 120 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: rest · tube · mark · race · wax · cabinet · chest · spring

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. spring — the season
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chest — a box
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — a container
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rest — what's left

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