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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. squash — the sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pit — in a race
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — happy
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — the amount
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. field — a subject
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pit — a hole

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