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

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. swing — to play on
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pop — soda
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. kid — child
  15. last — to go on
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pop — to visit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — happy
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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