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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. key — in music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. shower — rain
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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