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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. season — of the year
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — magic
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. foot — a measure
  9. capital — a city
  10. season — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. capital — money
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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