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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — in sport
  8. last — final
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. net — for catching
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — with an edge

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