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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rule — a law
  8. chip — for betting
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — government
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitch — completely
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. craft — a skill
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — temperature

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