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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rule — government
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rule — a law
  20. chest — a box
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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