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 120 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: cell · wax · net · bay · pound · ball · bore · bat

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. net — in sport
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cell — in biology
  11. net — for catching
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. net — after costs
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — gave birth

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