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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pop — to visit
  3. field — farmland
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pop — soda
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — for sport
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — a subject
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pop — music

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