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 124 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cap — a hat
  3. object — an aim
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. field — farmland
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cap — of ice
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. charge — a price
  13. field — a subject
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. charge — electricity
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. file — a document
  18. object — to protest
  19. cap — a lid
  20. field — for sport
  21. charge — in control
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. plane — in geometry

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