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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rock — music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — decided
  5. key — the most important part
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. staff — a stick
  11. firm — a company
  12. key — in music
  13. march — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — steady
  16. stock — goods
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. scale — size or range
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stock — shares

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