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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. staff — employees
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — the fish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — low music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. staff — employees
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. shower — rain

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