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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. field — a subject
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — music

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