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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — wild animals
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cold — not warm
  12. degree — an amount
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. game — a match
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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