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 120 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of law
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. root — of a word
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — of a king
  10. cold — not warm
  11. root — the cause
  12. cold — an illness
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. track — a path
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. court — for sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. temple — a place of worship

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