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: fan · file · season · root · racket · ball · mine · prune

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a great time
  8. file — a tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. file — a line of people
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. file — a document
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — of the year
  24. fan — a supporter

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