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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — music
  4. roll — a list
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. race — a contest
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. roll — a cake
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. race — humankind
  18. pop — to visit
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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