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: rash · degree · wax · tear · kid · bay · cold · ruler

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. degree — temperature
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — the Cold War

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