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: court · wound · sharp · season · mouse · wax · row · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — of law
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. row — a line
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. court — for sport
  24. season — in sport

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