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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. suit — clothes
  5. cue — for pool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — help
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — in sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — child
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. content — the amount
  24. hand — part of the body

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