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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a great time
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — finally
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rest — a break
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. staff — a stick
  23. last — to go on
  24. wax — to grow

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