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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — the sport
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — the season
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. tube — the underground
  19. club — for golf
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — of water

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