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: wax · drill · date · cell · capital · ball · chip · dip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. date — the fruit
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — a city
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — the tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — on the calendar

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