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: wake · chest · wax · chair · chip · suit · land · date

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — ground
  6. suit — in cards
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chest — a box
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — a country
  18. suit — to fit
  19. date — the fruit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. land — to come down
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chest — of your 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