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 120 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: wax · court · capital · ground · file · chip · nail · pound

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. court — of a king
  7. ground — the earth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a document
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — for sport
  12. capital — money
  13. ground — a position
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — a city
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pound — a weight
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ground — crushed

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