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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. court — of law
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — to shout
  12. file — a document
  13. court — of a king
  14. face — to confront
  15. file — a tool
  16. content — happy
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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