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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wax — to grow
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spring — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — a song
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. clip — a video
  23. foot — a measure
  24. track — to keep track

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