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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — to wash
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. track — to keep track
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — to come from
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. race — humankind
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. sharp — clever
  21. race — a contest
  22. shower — rain
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. arm — part of the body

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