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: march · race · wax · vault · band · season · jam · pound

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — a safe
  5. march — the month
  6. pound — a weight
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. season — of the year
  9. march — the month
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. race — the arms race
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. march — music
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. race — humankind

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