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 120 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: bat · band · content · wax · kick · bass · mark · swing

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a music group
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. content — happy
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — a grade
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. swing — to play 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