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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. clip — to cut
  8. track — a song
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. track — to keep track
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — a path
  24. vault — a safe

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