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: track · rule · net · season · trunk · object · pitcher · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — a thing
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. net — after costs
  5. rule — government
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — in sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. net — for catching
  14. season — of the year
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — an aim

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