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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. club — for dancing
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. date — the fruit
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wax — to grow
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. band — a ring
  13. rock — a stone
  14. club — a group
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. shower — rain
  17. rock — music
  18. club — for golf
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cell — a phone
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — a trail

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