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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. content — happy
  11. pop — soda
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — the season
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. face — to confront
  19. spring — a coil
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. drill — the tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — of water

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