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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — after costs
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — of water
  7. swing — in golf
  8. last — final
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spring — the season
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. last — finally
  24. swing — to play on

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