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: band · degree · cabinet · mark · pitcher · clip · firm · wax

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. firm — decided
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — an amount
  15. clip — for paper
  16. band — a ring
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. firm — a company
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — from a university

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