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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. content — the amount
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. content — happy
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ground — the earth
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wax — to grow
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ground — a position
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. swing — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. swing — to play on
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pass — to spend time

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