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: content · calf · clip · rock · shower · pit · scale · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — happy
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. clip — a video
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. shower — to wash
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rock — music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. pit — a hole
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — a young animal

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