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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitcher — a jug

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