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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fall — the season
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fall — to drop
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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