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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — happy
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bound — obliged
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bound — certain
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — a trace
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a grade
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — to eat

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