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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — low music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bass — the fish
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. object — a thing
  10. spring — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. object — an aim
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — the season
  20. race — the arms race
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. race — a contest

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