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

Word bank: face · content · wax · degree · fan · swing · march · bank

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. content — happy
  5. bank — of a river
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — to grow
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — music
  11. face — to confront
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bank — for money
  15. march — the month
  16. content — the amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. swing — to play on
  24. face — to point toward

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