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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a partner
  8. content — happy
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — the amount
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — an illness

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