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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bat — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kick — in football
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — music
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cap — a hat
  21. ball — a dance
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bat — in an idiom

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