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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rash — a series
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. race — a contest
  24. pass — to succeed

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