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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. march — the month
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. march — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. object — an aim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — for catching
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — in sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. deal — a big deal

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