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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — soda
  12. scale — in music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. scale — size or range
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — in football
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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