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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — for golf
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — music
  11. club — a group
  12. last — final
  13. key — for a lock
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. court — of law

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