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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — a video
  5. row — a line
  6. key — for a lock
  7. firm — decided
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — to paddle
  11. firm — a company
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — the most important part
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. court — of law
  19. clip — for paper
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. firm — steady
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. clip — to cut

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