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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. degree — from a university
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rule — government
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. firm — decided
  9. bark — to shout
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. firm — steady
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rule — a law
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rash — hasty
  24. firm — a company

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