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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pop — soda
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ground — the earth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pop — music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. march — the month
  14. row — a line
  15. club — for golf
  16. pit — a hole
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. row — to paddle
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pop — to visit

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