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 120 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: pitcher · court · bear · race · trunk · wax · racket · squash

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. court — for sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. squash — to crush
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. race — the arms race
  15. court — of a king
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. squash — the sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — for sculpting

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