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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. perch — the fish
  19. court — of law
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mouse — 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