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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — after costs
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. foot — a measure
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. squash — to crush
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. clip — a video
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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