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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — for paper
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — the fruit
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. land — ground
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. face — part of the head
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. face — to confront
  21. pit — a hole
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. face — to point toward

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