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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — a short time
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ground — a position
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ground — crushed
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bat — in an idiom

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