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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bark — to shout
  8. plane — a tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bear — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — music
  24. bear — the animal

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