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: prune · clip · race · content · net · suit · fork · lean

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. race — a contest
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — a video
  5. suit — clothes
  6. net — after costs
  7. race — humankind
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. prune — to trim
  11. suit — to fit
  12. content — the amount
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. net — in sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — in a road
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. content — happy
  24. lean — thin

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