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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · cell · firm · hand · dip · capital · chip · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. capital — money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hand — help
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — to grow
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chip — to eat
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. firm — a company
  24. chip — for betting

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