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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — a lid
  5. current — electric
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. current — of water
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bass — low music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. current — happening now
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — the animal

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