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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — a friend
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. last — finally
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. season — of the year

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