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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — a break
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — a series
  24. wax — in the ear

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