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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pit — a hole
  23. clip — a video
  24. staff — employees

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