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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. band — a music group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rule — government
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a ring
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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