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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wake — a trail
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bat — the animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rock — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — in an idiom

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