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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. roll — a cake
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — for catching
  8. drill — a practice
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. face — to confront
  19. roll — a list
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. date — the fruit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — to point toward

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