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: mate · land · wax · cap · sharp · fan · rest · tear

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mate — a partner
  3. land — a country
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mate — to breed

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