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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. charge — a price
  4. net — after costs
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. charge — in control
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. charge — electricity
  14. march — the month
  15. face — part of the head
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. face — to point toward

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