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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — letters
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — a short time
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rash — hasty
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitch — a sports field

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