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: deal · capital · game · wax · stick · track · cold · fall

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — not warm
  3. game — a match
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — a path
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. capital — money

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