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: wax · mate · rush · date · land · pitcher · season · track

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — to come down
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a path
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — to breed
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. land — ground
  13. season — of the year
  14. date — the fruit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. season — to add flavour

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