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: cold · swing · fine · toast · wax · content · bulb · rash

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — not warm
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. content — happy
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. toast — bread
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — a series
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cold — an illness
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rash — hasty

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