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: season · clip · vault · prune · pitcher · safe · saw · pitch

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. vault — a safe
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. season — of the year
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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