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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. file — a document
  8. kick — in football
  9. object — a thing
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — happy
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mark — a trace
  23. object — to protest
  24. mine — for digging

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