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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fine — all right
  3. tube — a container
  4. pop — soda
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — to visit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rule — government
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fine — high quality
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rule — a law
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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