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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. charge — in control
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mine — for digging
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chair — a leader
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. arm — a part of something

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