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: ground · pitch · wave · wake · cell · present · wax · spell

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. present — there
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spell — letters
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ground — a position
  19. wake — a trail
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. present — a gift

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