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: club · rush · last · cell · march · wax · deal · lie

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. club — a group
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rush — hurry
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. last — to go on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wax — to grow
  22. club — for golf
  23. cell — in biology
  24. march — the month

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