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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bore — to tire
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bore — to drill
  9. field — a subject
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — final
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. land — ground
  16. last — to go on
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. land — a country
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. land — to come down
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. last — finally

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