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: wax · season · tear · current · pit · pitcher · march · land

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — the month
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — electric
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tear — to rip
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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