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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spell — a short time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spell — magic
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stock — shares
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — after costs
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — letters

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