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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. clip — a video
  4. season — of the year
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — a list
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — a hat
  13. charge — a price
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  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