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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — in music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. press — to push
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — the amount
  9. court — of law
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tube — the underground
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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