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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. present — the time now
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — shares
  8. present — there
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — final
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fall — the season
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. dip — to sink
  19. present — a gift
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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