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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. firm — a company
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. march — music
  5. firm — steady
  6. chest — a box
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — for pool
  9. firm — decided
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — the season
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — of your body
  19. march — the month
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — clever

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