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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a music group
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. face — to point toward
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. game — wild animals
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a dance
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — to grow
  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