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: racket · wax · last · deal · season · mark · lie · roll

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — final
  6. roll — a cake
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. last — finally
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — to recline
  21. roll — a list
  22. wax — to grow
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. season — to add flavour

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