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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. dip — to sink
  7. race — a contest
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chip — for betting
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. chip — to eat
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. race — humankind
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — in the ear

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