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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — a friend
  4. object — an aim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. object — to protest
  14. march — the month
  15. object — a thing
  16. snap — to click
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chest — a box
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a lid
  24. prune — to trim

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