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: land · season · wind · swing · vault · wax · mouse · pitcher

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — of the year
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. swing — to play on
  11. vault — a safe
  12. swing — music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — moving air
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. land — a country

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