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: temple · swing · last · pitch · prune · wax · shower · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. swing — music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. shower — to wash
  7. last — finally
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — to go on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. shower — rain
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — a position
  22. last — final
  23. ground — crushed
  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