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: club · mark · roll · cold · cabinet · wax · pit · net

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. roll — a cake
  3. net — after costs
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cold — an illness
  11. club — for golf
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — for catching
  19. club — a group
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — in sport
  24. roll — a list

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