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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. march — the month
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. march — music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. club — a group
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — to grow
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. plane — a tool

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