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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · rock · march · snap · leaves · prune · rule · bat

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — government
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rock — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. march — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kick — in football
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — a stone

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