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: suit · clip · fall · rock · pitch · cue · prune · court

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — for sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cue — a hint
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. court — of law
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — completely
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rock — music
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cue — a signal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of a king
  24. rock — a stone

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