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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · pitcher · mine · fine · mark · snap · cap · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — all right
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — a lid
  15. snap — to click
  16. fine — high quality
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — to tease

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