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: firm · file · degree · ground · bulb · land · racket · wax

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — crushed
  4. firm — decided
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a tool
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. firm — steady
  16. bulb — for light
  17. firm — a company
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. file — a line of people
  22. land — ground
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bulb — for light

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