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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — a box
  8. firm — steady
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — music
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. row — a line
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pop — soda
  22. chest — of your body
  23. firm — a company
  24. fork — in a road

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