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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chair — a leader
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — a song
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. prune — to trim
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. staff — employees
  21. file — a line of people
  22. track — a path
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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