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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. band — a music group
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — a subject
  7. band — a ring
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. last — finally
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pass — a permit
  16. last — final
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. season — of the year
  24. field — farmland

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