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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chip — to eat
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lean — thin
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fork — in a road
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. clip — a video
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fork — a garden tool

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