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

Word bank: mate · spell · cabinet · bat · squash · sharp · scale · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — the animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — a short time
  12. scale — in music
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — a partner
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. scale — size or range
  22. spell — letters
  23. mate — a friend
  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