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: pound · clip · file · fall · wind · suit · court · wax

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. court — for sport
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. file — a line of people
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. clip — a video
  17. file — a document
  18. fall — the season
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pound — a weight

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