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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — hurry
  13. land — to come down
  14. wax — to grow
  15. face — part of the head
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — ground
  18. march — music
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. face — to point toward
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a rubber band

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