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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — magic
  8. tube — the underground
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. roll — a list
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mate — to breed
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ground — crushed
  18. spell — letters
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — a position
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. roll — on a roll

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