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: kid · degree · ball · staff · ruler · cap · land · wax

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kid — child
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — ground
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kid — to tease
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. staff — employees
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — to grow
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. degree — temperature

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