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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cue — for pool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — a hint
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — a song
  13. content — happy
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — not warm
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — a signal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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