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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. clip — to cut
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitch — completely
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — a video
  9. field — farmland
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bank — for money
  24. field — a subject

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