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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — a short time
  7. key — in music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — final
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spell — letters
  20. dip — to sink
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spring — the season
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. last — finally

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