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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — for digging
  4. field — for sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ground — a position
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — humankind
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. field — a subject
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. field — farmland
  16. race — the arms race
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ground — the earth
  22. roll — a list
  23. wax — to grow
  24. race — a contest

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