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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — wild animals
  3. object — to protest
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bat — the animal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. object — a thing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. object — an aim
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a song
  20. fork — in a road
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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