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: net · can · rock · fan · game · pop · capital · wax

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — after costs
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. can — a tin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. capital — money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. net — for catching
  22. pop — soda
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — a city

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