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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ground — a position
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a match
  5. root — the cause
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spell — magic
  8. clip — a video
  9. root — of a plant
  10. firm — decided
  11. spell — a short time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — to cut
  18. firm — a company
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spell — letters
  23. ground — the earth
  24. firm — steady

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