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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hand — help
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. branch — a division
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — part of the body

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