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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — to confront
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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