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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. game — a match
  5. net — after costs
  6. game — wild animals
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. kid — to tease
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. net — for catching
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pit — a hole
  16. root — the cause
  17. pit — in a race
  18. root — of a word
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — child
  24. root — of a plant

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