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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. march — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — magic
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spring — of water
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spring — the season
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — to wash

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