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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a skill
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a line
  6. march — music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. craft — boats
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pound — a weight
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spell — magic
  19. march — the month
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wax — to grow
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. race — a contest

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