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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. clip — a video
  3. club — a group
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — in music
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — of water
  12. stock — goods
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ball — a great time
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stock — shares
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. club — for golf
  21. current — electric
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. current — happening now

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