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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. court — of a king
  10. fine — high quality
  11. court — for sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rest — a break
  17. spring — of water
  18. fall — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spring — the season
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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