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: hand · wax · march · row · board · mark · key · kick

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. row — a line
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mark — a grade
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wax — to grow
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. key — in music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — in football
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. board — to get on
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — help
  24. row — to paddle

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