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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — a country
  5. scale — in music
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. land — to come down
  11. degree — temperature
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — money
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — ground
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pass — a permit
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. degree — an amount
  24. capital — a big letter

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