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 · net · court · rule · present · stock · chair · pitcher

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. net — after costs
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — for sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. present — there
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. rule — government
  19. net — in sport
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — a law
  24. prune — the fruit

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