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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wind — moving air
  7. track — a song
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. date — the fruit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. face — to point toward
  18. deal — to handle
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — to confront
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — a big deal

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