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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. race — humankind
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — a country
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. race — a contest
  8. kid — to tease
  9. land — to come down
  10. stock — shares
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mate — a friend
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stock — goods
  16. mate — a partner
  17. squash — the sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wax — to grow
  20. kid — child
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stock — a soup base

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