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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. roll — a list
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lie — to recline
  8. foot — a measure
  9. clip — to cut
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. roll — a cake
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. clip — a video
  15. degree — an amount
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. net — in sport
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — after costs
  24. wax — to grow

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