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: wake · arm · scale · pit · bass · wax · ball · field

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. scale — in music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bass — low music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wake — a trail
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pit — a hole
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ball — a great time
  24. scale — size or range

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