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 116 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — a company
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rock — a stone
  10. firm — decided
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — the season
  15. race — the arms race
  16. degree — from a university
  17. firm — steady
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — humankind
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wax — to grow
  24. race — a contest

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