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: season · capital · rest · cue · wax · face · field · perch

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — a city
  5. rest — a break
  6. perch — the fish
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. face — to confront
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cue — for pool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — a hint
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — money

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