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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. clip — for paper
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stock — goods
  6. roll — a list
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — to trim
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — to cut
  15. content — the amount
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — shares
  24. clip — a video

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