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: sharp · ball · kid · wax · bowl · land · ground · straw

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. land — a country
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. land — to come down
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kid — child
  17. ground — a position
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ball — a dance
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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