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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. scale — in music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. degree — an amount
  11. key — the most important part
  12. degree — temperature
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — from a university
  21. key — in music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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