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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cap — a lid
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. field — for sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. race — humankind
  8. content — happy
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cap — of ice
  12. race — a contest
  13. wax — to grow
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — a subject
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — farmland
  21. content — the amount
  22. pitch — completely
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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