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: ball · race · mine · wax · game · kid · leaves · date

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — for digging
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a match
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kid — child
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kid — to tease
  15. race — a contest
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. race — humankind
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. game — wild animals

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