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: bay · bore · hide · court · wax · degree · hand · scale

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. court — of law
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. court — of a king
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bore — to drill
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. scale — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — to tire
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — gave birth

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