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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — a song
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a ring
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a path
  22. band — a music group
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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