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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spring — a coil
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bound — certain
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — tied together
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. spring — of water
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a document
  19. bound — obliged
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. bat — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  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