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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — in cards
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — of water
  20. scale — size or range
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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