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 116 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: drill · bass · dip · wax · game · season · kid · last

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. game — a match
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. last — final
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — a practice
  9. dip — to sink
  10. last — to go on
  11. season — of the year
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — finally
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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