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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — final
  3. band — a ring
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. last — to go on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. last — finally
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. season — of the year
  13. toast — bread
  14. pop — soda
  15. band — a music group
  16. pop — music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. game — a match
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — to visit
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — to grow
  24. season — in sport

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