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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. board — to get on
  15. net — for catching
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. board — a committee
  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