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: ground · chest · wax · mate · rush · lean · field · last

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — a box
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — final
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. field — a subject
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — finally
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — farmland
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. last — to go 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