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 124 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. track — a path
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. track — a song
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — help
  11. can — a tin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. can — a tin
  14. file — a tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — in music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. file — a document

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