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: racket · mine · rash · degree · pitch · squash · dip · wax

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rash — a series
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. degree — temperature
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — from a university
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitch — completely

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