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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. root — of a word
  3. stock — shares
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitch — completely
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. object — an aim
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — all right
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. court — of law
  18. root — the cause
  19. object — a thing
  20. stock — goods
  21. object — to protest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wound — an injury

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