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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kick — in football
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. march — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in biology
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — on a finger

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