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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. charge — in control
  11. chest — of your body
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — temperature
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — for pool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rock — a stone

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