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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a document
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. file — a tool
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. scale — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — final
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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