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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. saw — the tool
  7. present — the time now
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mine — for digging
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — soda
  14. present — there
  15. cell — in biology
  16. swing — in golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pass — a permit
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. swing — music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. swing — to play on

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