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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — farmland
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. deal — to handle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — for sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rush — hurry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mouse — for a computer

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