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: key · track · land · roll · wax · game · cabinet · tear

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. key — in music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. track — a path
  8. key — for a lock
  9. roll — a cake
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. land — a country
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — ground
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — to come down
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tear — to rip

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