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: prune · court · chip · tear · perch · rock · plane · pitcher

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of law
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — a tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rock — music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — to rip
  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