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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. can — to be able to
  3. prune — to trim
  4. game — a match
  5. can — a tin
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — of ice
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rest — a break
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. patient — a sick person

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