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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — of water
  4. pitch — completely
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. current — electric
  7. scale — size or range
  8. court — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — happening now
  11. court — of a king
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. craft — boats
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. court — of law

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