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: bear · file · season · bat · wind · wax · court · mouse

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. court — of law
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — of a king
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — for sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — moving air

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