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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. dip — to sink
  9. charge — a price
  10. race — humankind
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. race — a contest
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — a phone
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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