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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. object — an aim
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pop — soda
  8. kick — in football
  9. track — a song
  10. object — a thing
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. object — to protest
  16. track — to keep track
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. prune — to trim
  24. row — a quarrel

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