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: arm · march · perch · last · wax · kid · ball · bowl

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kid — child
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. kid — to tease
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. last — final

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