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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bound — certain
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — a country
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — rain
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — tied together
  15. snap — to click
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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