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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a match
  20. wake — a trail
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. nail — on a finger
  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