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: clip · firm · cold · wax · content · wake · lie · current

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. firm — steady
  3. content — happy
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — an illness
  7. clip — to cut
  8. current — of water
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cold — not warm
  15. current — electric
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. firm — decided
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. clip — a video
  23. firm — a company
  24. content — videos and posts

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