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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tube — a container
  13. ground — a position
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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