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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stock — goods
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. root — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — a friend
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — to crush
  14. root — of a word
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. file — a tool
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — shares
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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