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: wax · season · straw · field · cue · toast · suit · club

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. suit — in cards
  3. club — for dancing
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. field — a subject
  10. suit — clothes
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — of the year
  15. field — for sport
  16. suit — to fit
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. field — farmland
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wax — for sculpting

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