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: mark · wax · hide · root · capital · toast · cold · bat

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cold — an illness
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. root — of a word
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — bread
  11. cold — not warm
  12. capital — a city
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. root — the cause
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. capital — money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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