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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ground — a position
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. charge — a price
  7. ground — crushed
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a song
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. charge — in control
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. track — a path
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — a break

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