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: current · row · wax · mine · content · roll · track · drill

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — to grow
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. current — electric
  5. content — the amount
  6. roll — a list
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a line
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. drill — a practice
  18. roll — a cake
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — the tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. track — to keep track
  24. row — to paddle

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