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'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — humankind
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — a contest
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cue — for pool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. race — the arms race

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