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: sharp · fork · prune · track · date · row · fine · spring

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — high quality
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spring — a coil
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fine — all right
  11. track — a song
  12. row — a line
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — a path
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — the season
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. spring — of water

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