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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — to play on
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. club — a group
  7. field — for sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. swing — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. field — farmland
  12. club — for golf
  13. tube — the underground
  14. club — for dancing
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — a subject
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fork — in a road
  23. vault — a safe
  24. straw — a straw man

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