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 116 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: capital · spell · hide · season · pass · prune · straw · squash

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. capital — a city
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spell — magic
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pass — a permit
  16. spell — letters
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — money
  24. season — to add flavour

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