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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hand — help
  4. content — the amount
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pop — to visit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. content — happy
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pop — music
  17. row — a line
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chip — to eat
  23. vault — a safe
  24. row — a quarrel

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