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 · bass · pit · cue · wax · cold · mark · stick

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. clip — a video
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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