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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wax — to grow
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. season — of the year
  19. race — humankind
  20. date — the fruit
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. race — a contest

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