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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bank — for money
  5. fine — all right
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bank — of a river
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to confront
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. key — in music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bear — to put up with

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