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 120 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: band · court · wax · pit · rest · content · present · chair

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. present — there
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a ring
  8. rest — what's left
  9. content — the amount
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. court — of law
  12. band — a music group
  13. content — happy
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chair — a leader
  16. court — of a king
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — in a race
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rest — a break
  22. court — for sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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