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: chair · date · toast · pit · face · wax · march · stick

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. toast — bread
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. face — to confront
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pit — a hole
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — the fruit
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chair — to sit on

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