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: wake · mark · cell · wax · rule · root · court · clip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mark — a trace
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rule — a law
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — the cause
  16. clip — to cut
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. root — of a plant

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