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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spring — the season
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. file — a document
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spring — of water
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — a permit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spring — a coil

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