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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. last — final
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — a lid
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bear — the animal
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bear — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — to go on
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — a garden tool

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