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: nail · jam · spring · racket · wax · degree · face · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. face — to confront
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. face — part of the head
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spring — of water
  22. face — to point toward
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. degree — from a university

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