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: content · chest · fork · rash · wax · lean · march · board

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chest — of your body
  4. content — happy
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — the amount
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rash — a series
  11. lean — thin
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. wax — to grow
  23. board — to get on
  24. fork — a garden tool

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