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

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. field — farmland
  4. pound — a weight
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. capital — a city
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fall — the season
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — money

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