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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rule — a law
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bat — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cue — for pool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cue — a hint
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — a container
  24. wax — for sculpting

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