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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chest — a box
  12. last — final
  13. cap — of ice
  14. march — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. last — finally
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — for sculpting

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