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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — to go on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. last — finally
  12. march — the month
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. march — music
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — a match
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — final

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