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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — rain
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. court — of a king
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — a break
  16. spell — magic
  17. squash — the sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — letters
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — for catching

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