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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a song
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. track — a path
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — hasty
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — an illness
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rash — a series
  24. safe — a strongbox

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