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: chip · current · squash · race · wax · sharp · degree · tube

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — happening now
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — a container
  13. degree — temperature
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — from a university
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — of water
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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