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: capital · bass · firm · rash · cap · scale · wax · content

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. firm — decided
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cap — a hat
  5. scale — size or range
  6. firm — a company
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. capital — a city
  9. content — happy
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — a series
  15. scale — in music
  16. firm — steady
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. content — the amount
  24. wax — in the ear

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