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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. staff — employees
  9. current — happening now
  10. fall — the season
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. game — a match
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — wild animals
  18. snap — to click
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — a stick
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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