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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a music group
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. squash — the sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — shares
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rock — music

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