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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. last — final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — thin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — finally
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — to go on

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