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 · pitch · content · date · hand · cap · wax · roll

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. content — the amount
  6. cap — a hat
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — of ice
  13. clip — for paper
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. roll — a list
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hand — help
  20. pitch — completely
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. clip — a video

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