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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. land — ground
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bore — to tire
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — to come down
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. perch — the fish

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