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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rule — government
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rock — a stone
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — exactly

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