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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. present — there
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. present — a gift
  18. pop — music
  19. march — the month
  20. present — the time now
  21. wax — to grow
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pop — to visit

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