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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cap — a hat
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. plane — a tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. prune — the fruit

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