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: fine · pit · land · wax · race · charge · squash · bat

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — the arms race
  3. charge — a price
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. land — a country
  7. charge — in control
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — ground
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wax — to grow
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fine — all right
  19. charge — electricity
  20. squash — to crush
  21. race — a contest
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. land — to come down
  24. wax — in the ear

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