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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. snap — to click
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — a short time
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. content — happy
  22. spell — magic
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — letters

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