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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — all right
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rash — a series
  24. fan — to cool the air

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