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: date · pop · kid · net · saw · court · stem · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — of law
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. court — of a king
  6. net — for catching
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pop — soda
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. kid — to tease
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — after costs
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — the tool

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