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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — the fruit
  6. court — of a king
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. prune — to trim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. court — for sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. court — of law
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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