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 116 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: deal · land · wax · club · kid · ball · last · swing

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — ground
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — finally
  13. land — a country
  14. last — to go on
  15. land — to come down
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. club — for golf
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. swing — to play 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