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: branch · squash · prune · game · last · fine · cell · ball

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. game — a match
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a great time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fine — all right
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. squash — the sport
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. branch — a division
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ball — a round shape

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