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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · wax · degree · leaves · track · capital · file · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. file — a document
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. file — a line of people
  8. track — a song
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. present — there
  15. degree — an amount
  16. present — the time now
  17. capital — a city
  18. degree — temperature
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. capital — money

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