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: hand · file · field · racket · wax · bowl · pop · pitcher

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — help
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — a subject
  22. pop — soda
  23. file — a document
  24. bowl — to roll

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