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: perch · drill · kick · band · wax · firm · last · sharp

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. band — a ring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. drill — a practice
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. last — to go on
  10. firm — steady
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — clever
  13. last — final
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. firm — decided
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. drill — army training

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