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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cold — not warm
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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