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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. track — a song
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — of ice
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. net — after costs
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. season — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to click
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a path

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