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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · toast · lean · date · cap · net · vault · wax

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — for catching
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lean — thin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cap — a lid
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lean — to bend
  22. net — after costs
  23. cap — a hat
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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