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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tube — a container
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — the season
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — in a tire

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