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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. capital — money
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. last — to go on
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — final
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — finally
  12. bore — to tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. capital — a city
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ground — a position
  21. can — to be able to
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. perch — for a bird

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